Blinker judgment device and autonomous driving system

ABSTRACT

A blinker judgment device for a vehicle includes: an information acquisition device that acquires surrounding situation information indicating a situation around the vehicle; and a control device that performs blinker judgment processing based on the surrounding situation information. The surrounding situation information includes image information of a target vehicle imaged by a camera. The control device performs: recognizing blinker flashing of the target vehicle based on the image information; checking, based on the surrounding situation information, whether or not there is a reasonable cause for the target vehicle to make a lane change, when the blinker flashing is recognized; and judging that the target vehicle is not in a process of the blinker flashing when the cause does not exist while judges that the target vehicle is in a process of the blinker flashing when the cause exists.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2016-241399 filed on Dec. 13, 2016, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a blinker judgment device for judgingblinker flashing of another vehicle and an autonomous driving systemprovided with the blinker judgment device.

Background Art

Conventionally, blinker flashing of another vehicle has been recognizedby analyzing images of the other vehicle imaged by a camera (see PatentLiterature 1 and Patent Literature 2).

LIST OF RELATED ART

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.2004-173195

Patent Literature 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.2010-105502

SUMMARY

Accuracy of recognition of blinker flashing based on the image analysisis not always high. Therefore, in the case of the conventionaltechnique, there is a possibility that a blinker is erroneouslyrecognized to be flashing although the blinker is not flashing inreality.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique that canjudge blinker flashing of another vehicle with higher accuracy.

A first aspect provides a blinker judgment device mounted on a vehicle.The blinker judgment device includes: an information acquisition deviceconfigured to acquire surrounding situation information indicating asituation around the vehicle; and a control device configured to performblinker judgment processing based on the surrounding situationinformation. The surrounding situation information includes imageinformation of a target vehicle imaged by a camera. The blinker judgmentprocessing includes: recognition processing that recognizes blinkerflashing of the target vehicle based on the image information;reasonableness check processing that checks, based on the surroundingsituation information, whether or not there is a cause for the targetvehicle to make a lane change, when the blinker flashing is recognized;and judgment processing that judges that the target vehicle is not in aprocess of the blinker flashing when the cause does not exist whilejudges that the target vehicle is in a process of the blinker flashingwhen the cause exists.

A second aspect has the following features in addition to the firstaspect. A direction of the lane change expected from the cause isconsistent with a direction indicated by the blinker flashing recognizedby the recognition processing.

A third aspect has the following features in addition to the first orsecond aspects. The cause is an event that exists in front of or behindthe target vehicle.

A fourth aspect has the following features in addition to the thirdaspect. The event existing in front of the target vehicle includes atleast one of lane increase, lane decrease, an intersection, lanebranching, lane merging, a facility entrance, a facility exit, alow-speed vehicle slower than the target vehicle, an obstacle, aroadwork section, an accident vehicle, and a traffic jam.

A fifth aspect has the following features in addition to the thirdaspect. The event existing behind the target vehicle includes at leastone of lane increase, a high-speed vehicle faster than the targetvehicle, and a nearby vehicle whose distance to the target vehicle isequal to or less than a threshold value.

A sixth aspect has the following features in addition to the first orsecond aspects. The cause is that the target vehicle is in a passinglane or a slower traffic lane.

A seventh aspect has the following features in addition to the first orsecond aspects. The target vehicle travels in a first lane. A secondlane is adjacent to the first lane. The cause is that a vehicle flow inthe second lane is faster than that in the first lane or a vehicledensity in the second lane is lower than that in the first lane.

An eighth aspect provides an autonomous driving system. The autonomousdriving system is provided with the blinker judgment device according toany one of the first to seventh aspects. The control device controlsautonomous driving of the vehicle based on a result of judgment by theblinker judgment device.

The blinker judgment device according to the present disclosurerecognizes blinker flashing of the target vehicle based on the imageinformation imaged by the camera. Furthermore, the blinker judgmentdevice checks, based on the surrounding situation information, whetheror not there is any reasonable cause for the target vehicle to make alane change. Only in the case where the reasonable cause exists, theblinker judgment device judges that the target vehicle is in a processof the blinker flashing. Accordingly, the possibility that the blinkeris erroneously recognized to be flashing although the blinker is notflashing in reality decreases. In other words, it is possible to judgethe blinker flashing of the target vehicle with higher accuracy. As aresult, driver's confidence in the blinker judgment device increases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an outline of a blinkerjudgment device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the blinkerjudgment device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining functions of an informationacquisition unit of the blinker judgment device according to theembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining functions of a blinker judgmentunit of the blinker judgment device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing blinker judgment processing by theblinker judgment device according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining examples of a reasonablecause for a target vehicle to make a lane change (blinker flashing);

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining other examples of thereasonable cause for the target vehicle to make a lane change (blinkerflashing);

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram for explaining still other examples ofthe reasonable cause for the target vehicle to make a lane change(blinker flashing); and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of anautonomous driving system provided with the blinker judgment deviceaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below withreference to the attached drawings.

1. Outline

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an outline of a blinkerjudgment device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.The blinker judgment device 10 is mounted on a vehicle 1 and judgesblinker flashing of a surrounding vehicle 2 existing around the vehicle1. The surrounding vehicle 2 as a target of the judgment is hereinafterparticularly referred to as a “target vehicle 2 t” in order todistinguish it from other surrounding vehicles 2.

The blinker judgment device 10 according to the present embodiment isprovided with an information acquisition device that acquiressurrounding situation information indicating a situation around thevehicle 1. The information acquisition device includes a camera thattakes images of the surroundings. The surrounding situation informationincludes image information of the surrounding vehicles 2 (including thetarget vehicle 2 t) imaged by the camera. The blinker judgment device 10is able to recognize blinker flashing of the target vehicle 2 t byperforming an image analysis of the image information by a well-knownmethod.

However, accuracy of recognition of blinker flashing based on the imageanalysis of the image information is not always high. Therefore, thereis a possibility that a blinker is erroneously recognized to be flashingalthough the blinker is not flashing in reality.

For example, in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is traveling in a lane L1, and thetarget vehicle 2 t is traveling in a lane L2 adjacent to the right sideof the lane L1. Let us consider a case where it is recognized by theimage analysis of the image information that the target vehicle 2 t isflashing a blinker indicating a left direction. The blinker flashingindicating the left direction suggests that the target vehicle 2 t willmake a lane change from the lane L2 to the lane L1 to cut in front ofthe vehicle 1. Therefore, a driver or an autonomous driving systemutilizing the blinker judgment device 10 decelerates the vehicle 1 inpreparation for the lane change of the target vehicle 2 t. However, ifthe recognition of the blinker flashing is false, not only thedeceleration results in vain but also the driver feels senses ofstrangeness and distrust. This leads to decrease in confidence in theblinker judgment device 10.

In view of the above, when the blinker flashing is recognized, theblinker judgment device 10 according to the present embodiment checkswhether or not there is any “reasonable cause” for the target vehicle 2t to make a lane change (i.e. the blinker flashing). Here, the lanechange means a vehicle operation in an direction away from a currenttravel lane. What is used in checking existence of a reasonable cause tomake a lane change is the above-mentioned surrounding situationinformation acquired by the information acquisition device. As anexample, when the lane L2 ends in front of the target vehicle 2 t, it isreasonable that the target vehicle 2 t makes a lane change. As anotherexample, when an obstacle exists in front of the target vehicle 2 t, itis reasonable that the target vehicle 2 t makes a lane change.

When there is any reasonable cause, the blinker judgment device 10judges that the recognition of the blinker flashing based on the imageinformation is correct. In other words, the blinker judgment device 10judges that the target vehicle 2 t is in a process of the blinkerflashing. On the other hand, when there is no reasonable cause, theblinker judgment device 10 judges that the recognition of the blinkerflashing based on the image information is incorrect. In other words,the blinker judgment device 10 judges that the target vehicle 2 t is notin a process of the blinker flashing.

As described above, the blinker judgment device 10 according to thepresent embodiment recognizes the blinker flashing of the target vehicle2 t based on the image information imaged by the camera. Furthermore,the blinker judgment device 10 checks, based on the surroundingsituation information, whether or not there is any reasonable cause forthe target vehicle 2 t to make a lane change (i.e. the blinkerflashing). Only in the case where the reasonable cause exists, theblinker judgment device 10 judges that the target vehicle 2 t is in aprocess of the blinker flashing. Accordingly, the possibility that theblinker is erroneously recognized to be flashing although the blinker isnot flashing in reality decreases. In other words, it is possible tojudge the blinker flashing of the target vehicle 2 t with higheraccuracy. As a result, the driver's confidence in the blinker judgmentdevice 10 increases.

The blinker judgment device 10 according to the present embodiment canbe applied to an autonomous driving system, for example. In this case,the autonomous driving system predicts a behavior of the target vehicle2 t based on the result of judgment by the blinker judgment device 10 tocontrol autonomous driving of the vehicle 1. Increase in the accuracy ofthe blinker judgment means increase in accuracy of prediction of thebehavior of the target vehicle 2 t. It is thus possible to achieve moresafe and highly accurate autonomous driving. This contributes toincrease in confidence in the autonomous driving system.

It should be noted that the blinker judgment device 10 according to thepresent embodiment can be also applied to a system other than theautonomous driving system. For example, the blinker judgment device 10according to the present embodiment can be used for driving assist,collection of information on behaviors of the surrounding vehicles 2,and so forth.

Hereinafter, the blinker judgment device 10 according to the presentembodiment will be described in more detail.

2. Blinker Judgment Device 2-1. Configuration Example

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the blinkerjudgment device 10 according to the present embodiment. The blinkerjudgment device 10 is provided with a GPS (Global Positioning System)receiver 20, a map database 30, a sensor group 40, a communicationdevice 60, and a control device 70.

The GPS receiver 20 receives signals transmitted from a plurality of GPSsatellites and calculates a position and a posture (i.e. orientation) ofthe vehicle 1 based on the received signals. The GPS receiver 20 sendsthe calculated information to the control device 70.

Information indicating a boundary position of each lane on a map isbeforehand recorded in the map database 30. For example, the boundaryposition of each lane is represented by a group of plural points orlines. Furthermore, information on facilities along roads may bebeforehand recorded in the map database 30. The facilities areexemplified by a parking lot, a gas station, a convenience store, ashopping center, and the like. The map database 30 is stored in apredetermined storage device.

The sensor group 40 detects a situation around the vehicle 1 and atravel state of the vehicle 1. The sensor group 40 includes at least acamera 50 that images a situation around the vehicle 1. Besides, thesensor group 40 is exemplified by a LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection andRanging), a radar, a vehicle speed sensor, and the like. The LIDAR useslaser lights to detect a target around the vehicle 1. The radar usesradio waves to detect a target around the vehicle 1. The vehicle speedsensor detects a speed of the vehicle 1. The sensor group 40 sends thedetected information to the control device 70.

The communication device 60 performs a V2X communication (i.e. avehicle-to-vehicle communication and a vehicle-to-infrastructurecommunication). More specifically, the communication device 60 performsa V2V communication (a vehicle-to-vehicle communication) with thesurrounding vehicle 2. In addition, the communication device 60 performsa V2I communication (a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication) with asurrounding infrastructure. Through the V2X communication, thecommunication device 60 can acquire information on a situation aroundthe vehicle 1. The communication device 60 sends the acquiredinformation to the control device 70.

The control device 70 controls driving of the vehicle 1. Typically, thecontrol device 70 is a microcomputer including a processor, a memory,and an input/output interface. The control device 70 is also called anECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control device 70 receives a varietyof information through the input/output interface. The control device 70performs driving control of the vehicle 1 based on the receivedinformation.

In particular, the control device 70 according to the present embodimentperforms “blinker judgment processing” that judges blinker flashing ofthe surrounding vehicle 2 (i.e. the target vehicle 2 t). The controldevice 70 includes an information acquisition unit 71 and a blinkerjudgment unit 72 as functional blocks relating to the blinker judgmentprocessing. These functional blocks are achieved by the processor of thecontrol device 70 executing a control program stored in the memory. Thecontrol program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

Hereinafter, respective functions of the information acquisition unit 71and the blinker judgment unit 72 in the present embodiment will bedescribed in detail.

2-2. Information Acquisition Processing

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining functions of the informationacquisition unit 71 of the control device 70. The informationacquisition unit 71 performs “information acquisition processing” thatacquires information necessary for the blinker judgment processing. Theinformation acquisition processing is repeatedly executed every certaincycle.

More specifically, the information acquisition unit 71 acquires, fromthe GPS receiver 20, position-orientation information 82 indicating acurrent position and a posture (i.e. orientation) of the vehicle 1.

Moreover, the information acquisition unit 71 reads the informationregarding lanes from the map database 30 to generate lane information83. The lane information 83 includes a geometry (i.e. position, shape,and orientation) of each lane on a map. Therefore, it is possible torecognize an intersection, lane increase/decrease, lane merging, lanebranching, and the like based on the lane information 83. When theinformation on facilities along roads is recorded in the map database30, the lane information 83 may include the information on thefacilities.

Moreover, the information acquisition unit 71 generates sensor detectedinformation 84 based on the information detected by the sensor group 40.For example, the sensor detected information 84 includes the vehiclespeed detected by the vehicle speed sensor. In addition, the sensordetected information 84 includes target information regarding the targetaround the vehicle 1. The target around the vehicle 1 includes a movingtarget and a stationary target. The moving target is exemplified by thesurrounding vehicle 2 (see FIG. 1), a motorbike, a bicycle, apedestrian, and so forth. Information regarding a moving target includesa position, a speed, and a size of the moving target. The stationarytarget is exemplified by a traffic sign (road sign), a white line, atraffic signal, a fallen object, a roadside structure, and the like.Information regarding a stationary target includes a position and a sizeof the stationary target. Such the target information is generated by awell-known recognition technique based on the detected informationobtained by the sensor group 40 (e.g. the camera 50, the LIDAR, theradar, and the like).

Furthermore, the sensor detected information 84 includes imageinformation 85 imaged by the camera 50. The image information 85includes image information of the surrounding vehicles 2 (including thetarget vehicle 2 t). By performing an image analysis of the imageinformation 85 by a well-known method, it is possible to recognizeblinker flashing of the surrounding vehicle 2 (i.e. the target vehicle 2t).

Moreover, the information acquisition unit 71 receives a variety ofinformation through the communication device 60. The informationreceived through the communication device 60 is received information 86.For example, the information acquisition unit 71 receives surroundingvehicle providing information from the surrounding vehicle 2 through theV2V communication. The surrounding vehicle providing informationincludes a variety of information detected by the surrounding vehicle 2.In addition, the information acquisition unit 71 receives deliveryinformation from the infrastructure through the V2I communication. Thedelivery information is exemplified by roadwork section information,accident information, traffic jam information, traffic regulationinformation, and so forth. The received information 86 includes thesurrounding vehicle providing information and the delivery information.

All of the position-orientation information 82, the lane information 83,the sensor detected information 84, the image information 85, and thereceived information 86 as exemplified above indicate a situation aroundthe vehicle 1. Information indicating such the situation around thevehicle 1 is hereinafter referred to as “surrounding situationinformation 80”. That is to say, the surrounding situation information80 includes the position-orientation information 82, the laneinformation 83, the sensor detected information 84, the imageinformation 85, and the received information 86.

It can be said that the information acquisition unit 71 of the controldevice 70 has a function of acquiring the surrounding situationinformation 80. As shown in FIG. 3, the information acquisition unit 71together with the GPS receiver 20, the map database 30, the sensor group40, the camera 50, and the communication device 60 constitute an“information acquisition device 90”. The information acquisition device90 as a part of the blinker judgment device 10 performs the informationacquisition processing described above.

2-3. Blinker Judgment Processing

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining functions of the blinkerjudgment unit 72 of the control device 70. The blinker judgment unit 72performs the “blinker judgment processing” that judges blinker flashingof the target vehicle 2 t based on the above-mentioned surroundingsituation information 80. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the blinkerjudgment processing according to the present embodiment.

Step S1:

The blinker judgment unit 72 performs recognition processing forrecognizing blinker flashing based on the image information 85 of thetarget vehicle 2 t imaged by the camera 50. More specifically, theblinker judgment unit 72 performs an image analysis of the imageinformation 85 of the target vehicle 2 t by a well-known method todetermine whether or not the target vehicle 2 t is performing blinkerflashing. As the well-known method, a method disclosed in PatentLiterature 1 or Patent Literature 2 may be used.

When blinker flashing of the target vehicle 2 t is recognized by therecognition processing (Step S1; Yes), the processing proceeds to StepS2. On the other hand, when no blinker flashing of the target vehicle 2t is recognized by the recognition processing (Step S1; No), theprocessing proceeds to Step S4.

Step S2:

The blinker judgment unit 72 performs reasonableness check processingbased on the above-described surrounding situation information 80. Morespecifically, the blinker judgment unit 72 checks whether or not thereis any “reasonable cause” for the target vehicle 2 t to make a lanechange (i.e. blinker flashing). A variety of reasonable causes can beconsidered. Various examples of the reasonable cause will be describedlater in detail.

A content of the reasonable cause is predetermined and recorded in thememory of the control device 70. Types of the reasonable cause recordedcan be plural. In that case, “there being a reasonable cause” means thatthere is at least one of the plural types of reasonable causes. Based onthe information recorded beforehand in the memory and the surroundingsituation information 80, the blinker judgment unit 72 can check whetheror not there is any reasonable cause.

In the present Step S2, a direction (left or right) indicated by theblinker flashing may be taken into consideration. For the sake ofexplanation, a direction indicated by the blinker flashing recognized inthe above-described Step S is referred to as a “recognized direction”.On the other hand, a direction of the lane change expected from thecause of the lane change is referred to as an “expected direction”. Whenthe expected direction and the recognized direction are consistent witheach other, the cause is reasonable. By considering consistency betweenthe recognized direction and the expected direction in this manner, itis possible to further increase accuracy of the reasonableness checkprocessing in the present Step S2.

Where there is any reasonable cause (Step S2; Yes), the processingproceeds to Step S3. On the other hand, when there is no reasonablecause (Step S2; No), the processing proceeds to Step S4.

Step S3:

The blinker judgment unit 72 judges that the recognition of the blinkerflashing in Step S1 is correct. That is, the blinker judgment unit 72judges that the target vehicle 2 t is in a process of the blinkerflashing. Then, the blinker judgment unit 72 outputs “blinker flashing:YES” as a judgment result.

Step S4:

The blinker judgment unit 72 judges that the target vehicle 2 t is notin a process of the blinker flashing. Then, the blinker judgment unit 72outputs “blinker flashing: NO” as a judgment result.

2-4. Various Examples of Reasonable Cause

FIGS. 6 to 8 are conceptual diagrams for explaining examples of thereasonable cause for the target vehicle 2 t to make a lane change(blinker flashing). Here, the lane change means a vehicle operation inan direction away from a current travel lane. Not only the reasonablecause but also the expected direction (i.e. the direction of the lanechange expected from the cause) is shown in each of FIGS. 6 to 8. In theabove-described Step S2, consistency between the expected direction andthe recognized direction (i.e. the direction indicated by the blinkerflashing recognized in Step S1) may be taken into consideration.

A typical example of the reasonable cause is that there is an “event”that causes the target vehicle 2 t to make a lane change. FIG. 6 showsvarious examples of such the event, especially of the event existing infront of the target vehicle 2 t. The event existing in front of thetarget vehicle 2 t is hereinafter referred to as a “forward event”.

An example of the forward event is “lane increase”. For example, when aslower traffic lane starts in front of the target vehicle 2 t, thetarget vehicle 2 t may move to the slower traffic lane. Therefore, thelane increase is a reasonable cause. The expected direction in this caseis a direction toward a new lane to be added. The lane increase can bedetected based on the lane information 83 or the sensor detectedinformation 84 (specifically, results of recognition of traffic signs,white lines, and the like).

Another example of the forward event is “lane decrease”. For example,when the target vehicle 2 t is traveling in a slower traffic lane andthe slower traffic lane ends in front of the target vehicle 2 t, thetarget vehicle 2 t is likely to return from the slower traffic lane to amain line. Therefore, the lane decrease is a reasonable cause. Theexpected direction in this case is a direction toward a continuing lane.The lane decrease can be detected based on the lane information 83 orthe sensor detected information 84 (specifically, results of recognitionof traffic signs, white lines, and the like).

Still another example of the forward event is an “intersection”. Thetarget vehicle 2 t may make a right or left turn at the intersection.Therefore, the intersection is a reasonable cause. When the targetvehicle 2 t is traveling in a left turn lane or the target vehicle 2 tapproaches a left turn lane, the expected direction is the leftdirection. On the other hand, when the target vehicle 2 t is travelingin a right turn lane or the target vehicle 2 t approaches a right turnlane, the expected direction is the right direction. The intersectioncan be detected based on the lane information 83 or the sensor detectedinformation 84 (specifically, results of recognition of traffic signs,traffic signals, and the like).

Still another example of the forward event is “lane branching”. Thetarget vehicle 2 t may enter a branch lane ahead. As another example, inorder to enter a branch lane ahead, the target vehicle 2 t maybeforehand make a lane change to a lane adjacent to the branch lane.Therefore, the lane branching is a reasonable cause. The expecteddirection in this case is a direction toward the branch lane. The lanebranching can be detected based on the lane information 83 or the sensordetected information 84 (specifically, results of recognition of trafficsigns, white lines, and the like).

Still another example of the forward event is “lane merging”. When alane in which the target vehicle 2 t is traveling is a merge lane thatmerges with a main line ahead, the target vehicle 2 t is likely to moveto the main line. Therefore, the lane merging is a reasonable cause. Theexpected direction in this case is a direction toward the main line. Thelane merging can be detected based on the lane information 83 or thesensor detected information 84 (specifically, results of recognition oftraffic signs, white lines, and the like).

Still another example of the forward event is a “merged section”. Let usconsider a case where the target vehicle 2 t is traveling in a main lineand a merge lane merges with the main line in front of the targetvehicle 2 t. In this case, the target vehicle 2 t may make a lane changein a direction away from the merge lane in order to avoid anothervehicle from the merge lane. Therefore, the merged section is areasonable cause. The expected direction in this case is the directionaway from the merge lane. The merged section can be detected based onthe lane information 83 or the sensor detected information 84(specifically, results of recognition of traffic signs, white lines, andthe like).

Still another example of the forward event is a “facility entrance”. Thefacility is exemplified by a parking lot, a gas station, a conveniencestore, a shopping center, and so forth. The target vehicle 2 t may entersuch the facility. Therefore, the facility entrance is a reasonablecause. The expected direction in this case is a direction toward thefacility. The facility entrance can be detected based on the laneinformation 83 (specifically, information on facilities).

Still another example of the forward event is a “facility exit”. Thefacility is exemplified by a parking lot, a gas station, a conveniencestore, a shopping center, and so forth. The target vehicle 2 t may makea lane change in a direction away from the facility in order to avoidanother vehicle coming out from the facility. Therefore, the facilityexit is a reasonable cause. The expected direction in this case is adirection away from the facility. The facility exit can be detectedbased on the lane information 83 (specifically, information onfacilities).

Still another example of the forward event is a “low-speed vehicle”. Thelow-speed vehicle is another vehicle slower than the target vehicle 2 t.The target vehicle 2 t may make a lane change in order to overtake thelow-speed vehicle. Therefore, the low-speed vehicle is a reasonablecause. The expected direction in this case is a direction enabling theovertaking (typically, a direction toward a passing lane). The low-speedvehicle can be detected based on the sensor detected information 84(specifically, results of recognition of the surrounding vehicles 2) orthe received information 86 (specifically, the surrounding vehicleproviding information received from the surrounding vehicles 2).

Still another example of the forward event is an “obstacle”. Theobstacle here is a concept including not only a fallen object but also astopped vehicle, a bicycle, pedestrian, and the like. The target vehicle2 t may make a lane change in order to avoid the obstacle. Therefore,the obstacle is a reasonable cause. The expected direction in this caseis a direction enabling avoiding the obstacle. The obstacle can bedetected based on the sensor detected information 84 (specifically,results of recognition of targets) or the received information 86(specifically, the surrounding vehicle providing information receivedfrom the surrounding vehicles 2).

Still another example of the forward event is a “roadwork section”. Thetarget vehicle 2 t may make a lane change in order to avoid the roadworksection. Therefore, the roadwork section is a reasonable cause. Theexpected direction in this case is a direction enabling avoiding theroadwork section. The roadwork section can be detected based on thereceived information 86 (specifically, the roadwork section information)or the image information 85.

Still another example of the forward event is an “accident vehicle”. Thetarget vehicle 2 t may make a lane change in order to avoid the accidentvehicle. Therefore, the accident vehicle is a reasonable cause. Theexpected direction in this case is a direction enabling avoiding theaccident vehicle. The accident vehicle can be detected based on thereceived information 86 (specifically, the accident information) or theimage information 85.

Still another example of the forward event is a “traffic jam”. Thetarget vehicle 2 t may make a lane change in order to avoid the trafficjam. Therefore, the traffic jam is a reasonable cause. The expecteddirection in this case is a direction enabling avoiding the traffic jam.The traffic jam can be detected based on the received information 86(specifically, the traffic jam information) or the sensor detectedinformation 84 (specifically, results of recognition of the surroundingvehicles 2).

Still another example of the forward event is an “object likely to jumpinto a lane”. The target vehicle 2 t may make a lane change in order toavoid such the object. Therefore, the object likely to jump into a laneis a reasonable cause. The expected direction in this case is adirection enabling avoiding the object. The object likely to jump into alane can be detected based on the sensor detected information 84(specifically, results of recognition of targets).

FIG. 7 shows examples of the event existing behind the target vehicle 2t. The event existing behind the target vehicle 2 t is hereinafterreferred to as a “rearward event”.

An example of the rearward event is “lane increase”. For example, adriver of the target vehicle 2 t may decide to move to a slower trafficlane after the slower traffic lane starts. Therefore, the lane increaseis a reasonable cause. The expected direction in this case is adirection toward an added new lane. The lane increase can be detectedbased on the lane information 83 or the sensor detected information 84(specifically, results of recognition of traffic signs, white lines, andthe like).

Another example of the rearward event is a “high-speed vehicle”. Thehigh-speed vehicle is another vehicle faster than the target vehicle 2t. An emergency vehicle also is included in the high-speed vehicle. Thetarget vehicle 2 t may make a lane change in order to avoid thehigh-speed vehicle, namely, to make way for the high-speed vehicle.Therefore, the high-speed vehicle is a reasonable cause. The expecteddirection in this case is a direction enabling avoiding the high-speedvehicle. The high-speed vehicle can be detected based on the sensordetected information 84 (specifically, results of recognition of thesurrounding vehicles 2) or the received information 86 (specifically,the surrounding vehicle providing information received from thesurrounding vehicles 2).

Still another example of the rearward event is a “nearby vehicle”. Thenearby vehicle is another vehicle whose distance to the target vehicle 2t is equal to or less than a threshold value. The target vehicle 2 t maymake a lane change in order to avoid the nearby vehicle, namely, to makeway for the nearby vehicle. Therefore, the nearby vehicle is areasonable cause. The expected direction in this case is a directionenabling avoiding the nearby vehicle. The nearby vehicle can be detectedbased on the sensor detected information 84 (specifically, results ofrecognition of the surrounding vehicles 2) or the received information86 (specifically, the surrounding vehicle providing information receivedfrom the surrounding vehicles 2).

The reasonable cause is not limited to existence of the event asdescribed above. FIG. 8 shows still other examples of the reasonablecause.

Still another example of the reasonable cause is that the target vehicle2 t is in a specific lane. The specific lane is a lane different from ausual travel lane. The specific lane is exemplified by a passing lane, aslower traffic lane, and so forth. The target vehicle 2 t in thespecific lane may return back to the usual travel lane. Therefore, thepresent cause is reasonable. The expected direction in this case is adirection to leave the specific lane. The present cause can be detectedbased on the lane information 83 or the sensor detected information 84(specifically, results of recognition of traffic signs, white lines, andthe like).

Still another example of the reasonable cause is that it is immediatelyafter the target vehicle 2 t makes a lane change from a merge lane to amain line. Such the target vehicle 2 t may further make a lane changewithin the main line. Therefore, the present cause is reasonable. Theexpected direction in this case is a direction away from the merge lane.The present cause can be detected based on the lane information 83 andthe sensor detected information 84 (specifically, results of recognitionof the target vehicle 2 t).

Still another example of the reasonable cause relates to a state of anadjacent lane. For the sake of explanation, a lane in which the targetvehicle 2 t is traveling is referred to as a “first lane”, and a laneadjacent to the first lane is referred to as a “second lane”. Thepresent reasonable cause is that a vehicle (traffic) flow in the secondlane is faster than that in the first lane. In this case, the targetvehicle 2 t may move to the second lane in which the flow is faster.Therefore, the present cause is reasonable. The expected direction inthis case is a direction toward the second lane. The flow speed can becalculated based on respective speeds of the surrounding vehicles 2.Therefore, the present cause can be detected based on the laneinformation 83 and the sensor detected information 84 (specifically,results of recognition of the surrounding vehicles 2).

Still another example of the reasonable cause is that a vehicle densityin the second lane is lower than that in the first lane. In this case,the target vehicle 2 t may move to the second lane being less crowded.Therefore, the present cause is reasonable. The expected direction inthis case is a direction toward the second lane. The vehicle density canbe calculated based on respective positions of the surrounding vehicles2. Therefore, the present cause can be detected based on the laneinformation 83 and the sensor detected information 84 (specifically,results of recognition of the surrounding vehicles 2).

Still another example of the reasonable cause is that a plurality ofsurrounding vehicles 2 make lane changes to the same specific directionin the vicinity of the target vehicle 2 t. In this case, it is highlyprobable that the target vehicle 2 t also makes a lane change to thesame specific direction. Therefore, the present cause is reasonable. Theexpected direction in this case is the specific direction. The presentcause can be detected based on results of the blinker judgement withregard to the plurality of surrounding vehicles 2 by the blinkerjudgment device 10. Alternatively, the present cause can be detectedbased on the sensor detected information 84 (specifically, results ofrecognition of motions of the surrounding vehicles 2). Alternatively,when there is an external system that records driving operations of alarge number of vehicles and delivers information on the drivingoperations, the present cause can be detected based on the receivedinformation 86 (specifically, the delivery information from the externalsystem).

In the present embodiment, at least one of the reasonable causes asexemplified above is used. Plural types of causes may be used. In thatcase, there being a reasonable cause means that there is at least one ofthe plural types of causes.

2-5. Effects

As described above, the blinker judgment device 10 according to thepresent embodiment recognizes the blinker flashing of the target vehicle2 t based on the image information 85 imaged by the camera 50.Furthermore, the blinker judgment device 10 checks, based on thesurrounding situation information 80, whether or not there is anyreasonable cause for the target vehicle 2 t to make a lane change. Onlyin the case where the reasonable cause exists, the blinker judgmentdevice 10 judges that the target vehicle 2 t is in a process of theblinker flashing. Accordingly, the possibility that the blinker iserroneously recognized to be flashing although the blinker is notflashing in reality decreases. In other words, it is possible to judgethe blinker flashing of the target vehicle 2 t with higher accuracy. Asa result, the driver's confidence in the blinker judgment device 10increases.

3. Autonomous Driving System

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of anautonomous driving system 100 provided with the blinker judgment device10 according to the present embodiment. The autonomous driving system100 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and controls autonomous driving of thevehicle 1.

More specifically, the autonomous driving system 100 is provided with atravel device 110 in addition to the configuration of the blinkerjudgment device 10 shown in the foregoing FIG. 2. The travel device 110includes a steering device, a driving device, a braking device, atransmission, and so forth. The steering device turns wheels. Thedriving device is a power source that generates a driving force. Thedriving device is exemplified by an engine and an electric motor. Thebraking device generates a braking force.

Moreover, the control device 70 controls the autonomous driving of thevehicle 1. For that purpose, the control device 70 further includes aplanning unit 73 and a travel control unit 74 in addition to theinformation acquisition unit 71 and the blinker judgment unit 72. Thesefunctional blocks are achieved by the processor of the control device 70executing a control program stored in the memory.

The planning unit 73 devises, based on the surrounding situationinformation 80, a travel plan of the vehicle 1 in the autonomousdriving. For example, the planning unit 73 determines, based on theposition-orientation information 82 (the current position) and the laneinformation 83, a travel plan including a travel route, a lane changepoint, and the like. As another example, the planning unit 73 monitors,based on the sensor detected information 84, a relative distance and arelative speed with respect to a preceding vehicle in front of thevehicle 1. Then, the planning unit 73 devises a travel plan including anavoidance behavior for avoiding collision with the preceding vehicle.The avoidance behavior here is deceleration or a lane change.

The travel control unit 74 controls the travel device 110 such that thevehicle 1 travels according to the travel plan. The controls of thetravel device 110 include steering control for controlling the steeringdevice, acceleration control for controlling the driving device, anddeceleration control for controlling the braking device.

As an example, let us consider here the situation shown in FIG. 1. InFIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is traveling in the lane L1, and the targetvehicle 2 t is traveling in the lane L2 adjacent to the right side ofthe lane L1. The target vehicle 2 t flashes a blinker indicating theleft direction. The blinker judgment device 10 according to the presentembodiment judges the blinker flashing of the target vehicle 2 t withhigh accuracy. Then, the planning unit 73 predicts a behavior of thetarget vehicle 2 t based on the result of judgment by the blinkerjudgment device 10. More specifically, the planning unit 73 predicts,from the blinker flashing indicating the left direction, that the targetvehicle 2 t will make a lane change from the lane L2 to the lane L1,namely, the target vehicle 2 t will cut in front of the vehicle 1.Therefore, the planning unit 73 plans to decelerate the vehicle 1 inorder to avoid collision with the target vehicle 2 t. Then, the travelcontrol unit 74 performs the deceleration control to decelerate thevehicle 1.

As a comparative example, let us consider a case where the planning unit73 predicts the behavior of the target vehicle 2 t based only on theresult of recognition of blinker flashing based on the image analysis ofthe image information 85. Accuracy of the recognition of blinkerflashing based on the image analysis of the image information 85 is notalways high. Therefore, there is a possibility that a blinker iserroneously recognized to be flashing although the blinker is notflashing in reality. If such the erroneous (false) recognition occurs,the planning unit 73 plans unnecessary deceleration of the vehicle 1.Then, the travel control unit 74 performs unnecessary decelerationcontrol. The driver feels senses of strangeness and distrust withrespect to such the unnecessary deceleration control.

On the other hand, the autonomous driving system 100 according to thepresent embodiment predicts the behavior of the target vehicle 2 t basedon the highly-accurate result of judgment by the blinker judgment device10 to control the autonomous driving of the vehicle 1. It is thuspossible to achieve more safe and highly accurate autonomous driving.This contributes to increase in confidence in the autonomous drivingsystem 100.

What is claimed is:
 1. A blinker judgment device mounted on a vehicle,comprising: an information acquisition device configured to acquiresurrounding situation information indicating a situation around thevehicle; and a control device configured to perform blinker judgmentprocessing based on the surrounding situation information, wherein thesurrounding situation information includes image information of a targetvehicle imaged by a camera, and wherein the blinker judgment processingincludes: recognition processing that recognizes blinker flashing of thetarget vehicle based on the image information; reasonableness checkprocessing that checks, based on the surrounding situation information,whether or not there is a cause for the target vehicle to make a lanechange, when the blinker flashing is recognized; and judgment processingthat judges that the target vehicle is not in a process of the blinkerflashing when the cause does not exist while judges that the targetvehicle is in a process of the blinker flashing when the cause exists.2. The blinker judgment device according to claim 1, wherein a directionof the lane change expected from the cause is consistent with adirection indicated by the blinker flashing recognized by therecognition processing.
 3. The blinker judgment device according toclaim 1, wherein the cause is an event that exists in front of or behindthe target vehicle.
 4. The blinker judgment device according to claim 3,wherein the event existing in front of the target vehicle includes atleast one of lane increase, lane decrease, an intersection, lanebranching, lane merging, a facility entrance, a facility exit, alow-speed vehicle slower than the target vehicle, an obstacle, aroadwork section, an accident vehicle, and a traffic jam.
 5. The blinkerjudgment device according to claim 3, wherein the event existing behindthe target vehicle includes at least one of lane increase, a high-speedvehicle faster than the target vehicle, and a nearby vehicle whosedistance to the target vehicle is equal to or less than a thresholdvalue.
 6. The blinker judgment device according to claim 1, wherein thecause is that the target vehicle is in a passing lane or a slowertraffic lane.
 7. The blinker judgment device according to claim 1,wherein the target vehicle travels in a first lane, a second lane isadjacent to the first lane, and the cause is that a vehicle flow in thesecond lane is faster than that in the first lane or a vehicle densityin the second lane is lower than that in the first lane.
 8. Anautonomous driving system comprising the blinker judgment deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the control device controls autonomousdriving of the vehicle based on a result of judgment by the blinkerjudgment device.